Collapsible carton

ABSTRACT

A collapsible carton which may be easily and quickly setup, has a base panel formed with an upwardly expressed medial fold line, a pair of end panels each formed with an outwardly expressed medial fold line, and a pair of pivotal flaps each formed with a medial fold line. The carton is set up by application of pressure to the ends of the carton whereby the panels and flaps are unfolded about their respective fold lines.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Kenneth N. Pugsley 2164 Wedgewood Road, Cooksville, Ontario, Canada [21] AppLNo. 754,910 [22] Filed Aug. 23, 1968 [45] Patented Feb. 23, 1971 [54] COLLAPSIBLE CARTON 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

52 U.S.Cl 229/37; 229/41 511 1nt.Cl. B65d 5/02, 865d 5/36 [50] FieldofSearch 229/8,37, 41 (A),41 (B) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,835,729 12/1931 Van Wormer 229/4l(B) 1,838,191 12/1931 Rumpel 229/41(B) 2,271,962 2/1942 Weiner 229/41(A) Primary Examiner-Donald F. Norton Assistant Examiner-Steven E. Lipman Attorney-Maybee and Legris ABSTRACT: A collapsible carton which may be easily and quickly setup, has a base panel formed with an upwardly expressed medial fold line, a pair of end panels each formed with an outwardly expressed medial fold line, and a pair of pivotal flaps each formed with a medial fold line. The carton is set up by application of pressure to the ends of the carton whereby the panels and flaps are unfolded about their respective fold lines.

PATENTED FE823I971 SHEET 1 OF 2 FIG.2

KENNETH N. PUGSLEY ATTORNEYS PATENTED FEB23 I971 SHEET 2 BF 2 ATTORNEYS COLLAPSIBLE CARTON This invention relates to a collapsible carton, that is to say a carton having a collapsed condition in which it may be stored and an erected condition in which it may be used.

My copending patent application Ser. No. 754,909 filed concurrently herewith describes a packaging station including a magazine in which cartons are stored in a collapsed condition, feed means for selectively delivering the cartons one at a time from the magazine to a receiving position, and automatically operable forming means for erecting a delivered carton ready for use. The present invention relates to a carton structure suitable for use in such a packaging station, and it is an object of the invention to provide a carton, of economical yet robust construction, which can easily be erected from the collapsed condition by applying pressure to the ends of the carton.

A carton in accordance with the invention comprises side panels and end panels forming a continuous wall, a base panel connected between the bottom edges of the side panels, and a pair of flaps pivotally connected to the bottom edges of the end panels. Each end panel is formed with an outwardly expressed medial fold line about which the panel is folded when the carton is collapsed; the base panel is formed with an upwardly expressed medial fold line about which the base panel is folded when the carton is collapsed; and the pivoted flaps are formed with medial fold lines about which the flaps are folded when the carton is collapsed. The carton is capable of being erected by application of pressure to the ends of the carton whereby the end panels, base panel and flaps are unfolded about their respective fold lines.

In order that the invention may be readily understood, one embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a one-piece blank from which a collapsible carton according to the invention may be constructed;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the partially constructed carton;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the partially constructed carton at a later stage in its construction;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of the completed carton in a condition intermediately between its collapsed and erected conditions; and

FIG. 5 shows the carton in its collapsed condition.

Referring to FIG. 1, a one-piece blank from which the carton is constructed comprises a pair of rectangular panels 1 and 2 of the same shape and area, which will constitute side panels of the carton, a pair of rectangular panels 3 and 4 which will constitute the end panels of the carton, the panel 4 being formed with an extension flap 5, a pair of nearly rectangular panels 6 and 7 constituting integral extensions of the panels 1 and 2, and a pair or" rectangular flaps 8 and 9 which are integral with the panels 3 and 4. The panel 1 is defined by a side edge 10, along which an adhesive coated border 11 is provided, a top edge 12, a fold line 13 parallel to the edge 10, and a fold line 14 parallel to the edge 12. The panel 3 is defined by a top edge 15, the fold line 13, a fold line 16 parallel to the fold line 13, and a fold line 17 parallel to the top edge 15. The panel 2 is defined by a top edge 18, the fold line 16, a fold line 19 parallel to the fold l6, and a fold line 20 parallel to the edge 18. The panel 4 is defined by a top edge 21, the fold line 19, a fold line 22 between the flap 5 and the panel, and a fold line 23 parallel to the top edge 21. The top edges 12, 15, 18 and 21 form a continuous edge which will constitute the rim of the carton, and the fold lines 14, 17, 20 and 23 define the bottom edges of the panels 1, 3, 2 and 4. The panel 7 is provided with an adhesive-coated border 24 along its free edge 25, and a fold line as which is parallel to the fold line 20. At the junctures of the flaps 3 and 9 with the panels 3 and 4, triangular gussets 27 and 28 are provided, the gussets being defined by the fold lines 17 and 23 and additional, inverted V-shaped, fold lines 29 and 30 immediately above the bottom edges of the panels 3 and 4. The panels 3 and 4 are provided with elongated apertures 31, 32 constituting hand grips in the finished carton. 1

The panels 3 and 4 are formed with outwardly expressed (that is to say, outwardly expressed with respect to the finished carton) medial fold lines 33 and 34 and the flaps E and 9 are formed with inwardly expressed fold lines 35 and 36, which will be upwardly expressed with respect to the finished carton. Slots 37 and 38 extend part way along the fold lines 35 and 36. The fold line 26 is inwardly expressed, that is to say, in the finished carton it will be upwardly expressed.

To construct the carton the panels 1, 3, 2 and 4 are closed to form a continuous wall and the extension flap 5 is glued or otherwise fastened to the border 11. The tubular structure so formed is illustrated in FIG. 2. The flaps 8 and 9 are pivoted upwardly as indicated in FIG. 2, about the fold lines 17 and 23 (FIG. 1) and the panels 6 and 7 are pivoted upwardly about the fold lines 14 and 20 (FIG. 1) into overlapping relation, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and glued or otherwise secured together. It will be seen that the panels 6 and 7 when glued together constitute a base panel extending between and connected to the bottom edges of the side panels land 2, the base panel having an upwardly expressed medial fold line 26. The carton so formed is in the form of an open topped, rectangular parallelepiped. z

The carton may be collapsed into a substantially fiat condition by applying pressure to the end panels 4 and 3 in the direction of the arrows A shown in FIG. 4; in this way the side panels 1 and 2 are drawn together, the end panels, flaps and base panel folding about their respective fold lines. The collapsed carton is illustrated in FIGS. The carton is intended to be stored in the collapsed condition and it may be readily erected by applying end pressures in the direction of the arrows C in FIG. 5, which opens the end panels about their respective fold lines, causing the side panels to move apart, the base panel opening into a fiat condition and the flaps being deflected downwardly to bear upon the base panel. It will be seen that the weight of goods placed into the carton holds the flaps 8 and 9 down, which flaps hold the base panel in its flat unfolded condition thereby maintaining the carton rigid.

It will be apparent that the carton may be modified in numerous ways without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the carton may be provided with a lid, instead of being open topped, and the actual shapes of the various panels may be modified to suit particular requirements. The essential features of the invention are the side panels which form a continuous wall with foldable end panels, a foldable base connected between the bottom edges of the side panels, and flaps pivoted to the bottom edges of the end panels for maintaining the base in a flat condition.

Iclaim:

l. A carton having a collapsed condition and an erected condition:

i. the carton being formed from a blank comprising a plurality of integrally connected panels, said panels includmg;

a. first and second pairs of rectangular panels hingedly connected together along parallel fold lines, the panels of the first pair alternating with the panels of the second pair, and each of said panels having a respective bottom edge; I

b. and a plurality of extension panels hingedly connected to the rectangular panels along the bottom edges thereof.

ii. the blank being folded about said parallel fold lines into a tube consisting of a pair of opposite side panels, constituted by said first pair of rectangular panels, and a pair of opposite end panels, constituted by said second pair of rectangular panels;

iii. the carton further comprising;

a. a base panel extending between and hingedly connected to the bottom edges of the side panels, said base panel being constituted by a said extension panel hingedly connected to one side panel and means for connecting such extension panel to the other one of said side panels;

b. and a pair of flaps, constituted by further ones of said extension panels, pivotally connected to the bottom edges of the end panels,

iv. each end panel being formed with an outwardly expressed medial fold line and the base panel being formed with an upwardly expressed medial fold line;

v. the end panels and the base panel being folded about their respective medial fold lines when the carton is in its collapsed condition;

vi. and the pivoted flaps being formed with respective medial fold lines about which the flaps are folded when the carton is in the collapsed condition;

vii. the carton being capable of being erected by application of pressure to the ends of the carton whereby the end panels, base panel and flaps are unfolded about their respective medial fold lines.

2. A carton having a collapsed condition and an erected condition:

i. the carton being formed from a blank comprising;

a. first and second pairs of rectangular panels hingedly connected together in series along parallel fold lines, the panels of the first pair alternating with the panels of the second pair, and each panel having a respective bottom edge;

b. a first pair of extension panels hingedly connected to the bottom edges of one said pair of alternate panels; and

c. a second pair of extension panels hingedly connected to the bottom edges of the other said pair of alternate panels;

ii. the blank being folded about said parallel fold lines into a tube consisting of a pair of opposite side panels, constituted by said first pair of rectangular panels, and a pair of opposite end panels, constituted by said second pair of rectangular panels;

iii. said first pair of extension panels being connected together and providing a continuous base panel extending between and hingedly connected to the bottom edges of the side panels;

iv. said second pair of extension panels providing a pair of flaps pivotally connected to the bottom edges of the end panels along outwardly expressed fold lines;

v. each end panel being formed with an outwardly expressed medial fold line and the base panel being formed with an upwardly expressed medial fold line;

vi. the end panels and the base panel being folded about their respective medial fold lines when the carton is in its collapsed condition;

vii. and the pivoted flaps being formed with respective medial fold lines about which the flaps are folded when the carton is in the collapsed condition,

viii. the carton being capable of being erected by application of pressure to the-ends of the carton.

3. A carton according to claim 2 (wherein the flaps are formed by integral extensions of the end panels, and) wherein a triangular gusset is provided at the juncture ofeach flap with its respective end panel, the gusset being defined by an outwardly expressed fold line along the bottom edge of the end panel and an outwardly expressed, inverted V-shaped, fold line fonned in the end panel immediately above the bottom edge.

4. A carton according to claim 2, wherein the flaps are formed with slots extending part way along their medial fold lines.

5. A carton according to claim 2, wherein the end panels are formed with apertures providing hand grips. 

1. A carton having a collapsed condition and an erected condition: i. the carton being formed from a blank comprising a plurality of integrally connected panels, said panels including; a. first and second pairs of rectangular panels hingedly connected together along parallel fold lines, the panels of the first pair alternating with the panels of the second pair, and each of said panels having a respective bottom edge; b. and a plurality of extension panels hingedly connected to the rectangular panels along the bottom edges thereof. ii. the blank being folded about said parallel fold lines into a tube consisting of a pair of opposite side panels, constituted by said first pair of rectangular panels, and a pair of opposite end panels, constituted by said second pair of rectangular panels; iii. the carton further comprising; a. a base panel extending between and hingedly connected to the bottom edges of the side panels, said base panel being constituted by a said extension panel hingedly connected to one side panel and means for connecting such extension panel to the other one of said side panels; b. and a pair of flaps, constituted by further ones of said extension panels, pivotally connected to the bottom edges of the end panels, iv. each end panel being formed with an outwardly expressed medial fold line and the base panel being formed with an upwardly expressed medial fold line; v. the end panels and the base panel being folded about their respective medial fold lines when the carton is in its collapsed condition; vi. and the pivoted flaps being formed with respective medial fold lines about which the flaps are folded when the carton is in the collapsed condition; vii. the carton being capable of being erected by application of pressure to the ends of the carton whereby the end panels, base panel and flaps are unfolded about their respective medial fold lines.
 2. A carton having a collapsed condition and an erected condition: i. the carton being formed from a blank comprising; a. first and second pairs of rectangular panels hingedly connected together in series along parallel fold lines, the panels of the first pair alternating with the panels of the second pair, and each panel having a respective bottom edge; b. a first pair of extension panels hingedly connected to the bottom edges of one said pair of alternate panels; and c. a second pair of extension panels hingedly connected to the bottom edges of the other said pair of alternate panels; ii. the blank being folded about said parallel fold lines into a tube consisting of a pair of opposite side panels, constituted by said first pair of rectangular panels, and a pair of opposite end panels, constituted by said second pair of rectangular panels; iii. said first pair of extension panels being connected together and providing a continuous base panel extending between and hingedly connected to the bottom edges of the side panels; iv. said second pair of extension panels providing a pair of flaps pivotally connected to the bottom edges of the end panels along outwardly expressed fold lines; v. each end panel being formed with an outwardly expressed medial fold line and the base panel being formed with an upwardly expressed medial fold line; vi. the end panels and the base panel being folded about their respective medial fold lines when the carton is in its collapsed condition; vii. and the pivoted flaps being formed with respective medial fold lines about which the flaps are folded when the carton is in the collapsed condition, viii. the carton being capable of being erected by application of pressuRe to the ends of the carton.
 3. A carton according to claim 2 (wherein the flaps are formed by integral extensions of the end panels, and) wherein a triangular gusset is provided at the juncture of each flap with its respective end panel, the gusset being defined by an outwardly expressed fold line along the bottom edge of the end panel and an outwardly expressed, inverted V-shaped, fold line formed in the end panel immediately above the bottom edge.
 4. A carton according to claim 2, wherein the flaps are formed with slots extending part way along their medial fold lines.
 5. A carton according to claim 2, wherein the end panels are formed with apertures providing hand grips. 